Kim's International Café Offers Savory Fare

Kim Rubino is the owner/ head chef of Kim’s International Café located at 2029 Lockport Rd., near the Niagara Falls Air Force Base.

She learned the food service business while working at the Osan Air Force Base in South Korea, where she met her future husband. They married and traveled all over the world working at Air Force bases on three continents.

This is where she learned a variety of international cuisines.

The Rubinos left the military life and settled in her husband’s hometown. of Niagara Falls. Mrs. Rubino worked as a cook at the Seneca Niagara Casino, Denny’s, Niagara University and the Indian Kitchen at the One Niagara Tourist Center near the Rainbow Bridge.

Last October, after many years working for others and not being able to fully exercise her creativity in food preparation, Kim Rubino decided that she was ready for her own restaurant.

Kim’s International Café is her “baby.” Her food is a labor of love and all the dishes, from the soups to the entrees, are made from scratch.

Mrs. Rubino serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

She offers six homemade soups daily. She provides American breakfasts such as special omelets, homemade corned beef hash, French toast, pancakes and eggs, all at reasonable prices. Her lunch and dinner menus offer a great selection of Mexican, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and American soups, appetizers and entrees all homemade with large portions.

My companion Wendy and I dined for lunch and we were impressed. Wendy chose a delicious potato egg drop soup (a Korean delicacy) and an old fashioned beer battered fish fry. The fish portion was large with a homemade beer batter and the haddock was fresh and not over cooked. The fries were crispy and potatoey (is that a word?). Kim’s coleslaw was freshly made without too much vinegar or mayonnaise. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed a spicy Korean soup with Ramyun noodles, egg and cheese that was spicy and savory. Korean food is so underrated. My entrée was two homemade, soft-shelled tacos ($5.95 including drink) covered with herpicaeageco salsa. The salsa was tangy and the tacos melted in my mouth. I will stack up Kim’s tacos to any in Western New York.

Kim’s International Café offers a 10 percent discount to military personnel and on Friday offers delivery service for their fish fry’s. Her menu is truly International, offering from Korean BBQ Ribs to Texas Red Hots. Both Kim Rubino’s sons John, 26 and Nicholas, 23, work with her at Kim’s International Café making it truly a family business.